Handy Man
by maritess342
Summary: Nick and Jess fix things. Multichapter. Spoilers for S1x1 (Pilot), S1x09 (The 23rd), S1X12 (The Landlord), S2x3 (Fluffer), S2x09 (Eggs), S2x14 (Pepperwood), S2x15 (Cooler), S2x16 (Table34), S2x17 (Table34), S2x20 (Chicago), and upcoming Season 2 episodes.
1. Handy Man

**DISCLAIMER: I am borrowing the characters from the lovely New Girl. (Also, this is my first fanfic ever!)**

**SPOILERS FOR EPISODES S1X12 (The Landlord), S2x3 (Fluffer), S2x15 (Cooler), and S2x20 (Chicago)**

* * *

Rubbing sleep from her eyes, Jess walked through the dark apartment into the bathroom and found Nick quietly fixing the light above the sink. "Hey, Nick. What are you doing up?"

Nick looked down from his work. "Hey, Jess. Couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd look at the brace for this light. I noticed it last week and thought . . ."

"That 2:15am was a good time to address the bathroom sconce issue in 4D, huh?" asked Jess.

Nick quietly laughed and looked back at his work. "Yeah, well, I'm making up for lost time, you know, with the whole trip to Chicago thing."

"Yeah," Jess agreed softly. "Do you want any help with the light?"

"Well, I'm pretty good, but if you wouldn't mind holding the brace straight while I unstick this screw . . .?"

Jess walked around Nick and raised her arms to hold the light. "How's that?"

"Perfect. Just like that," muttered Nick.

For the first time since their kiss, Nick seemed calm and at ease. Concentrating on removing the stuck screw from the wall brace, Nick's awkward turtle face had relaxed into an expression of boyish curiosity. As he worked, Jess watched the line of muscles in his arm flicker against his white t-shirt and noticed how the diffuse light added warmth to the darkness of his eyes.

"Hey, Nick? Jess asked.

"Yeah?" Nick answered. "Oh, hey, there it goes!" he softly cheered when the broken screw came free.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"I think you just did, my handy assistant," teased Nick. Although his words were light, a slight hitch in Nick's breath and a return of the turtle face hinted at worry over Jess' question.

"I was wondering . . . how come when stuff in the apartment breaks, you're usually the one fixing stuff? I mean three other people live here, and if you give me enough time to Google directions, I could fix stuff. And there's Remy . . ."

Nick relaxed. "Remy? The Landlord? Ugh, no, Jess!" he laughed. He looked through his toolbox for a new screw.

" . . . who is quite nice now and doesn't even so much as do a double air flute when I'm around, " continued Jess. "I mean, I'm just worried that while you're no longer my emotional fluffer, maybe you're allowing yourself to be the loft fix-it fluffer."

"Fix-it fluffer? Uh . . ."

"Handy-job man?

"Handy-job man?" Nick laughed and looked up from his work. "That definitely sounds like fluffing of some kind is involved."

"Eww! Nick!" laughed Jess. Jess shot a surprised glance at Nick, only to find him looking at her with amusement. "No, I just mean . . . I just want to make sure . . . " she awkwardly trailed off.

"No, Jess, it's okay. I like fixing stuff. I like putting together stuff. Like your dresser, or the sink, or this light brace," he said. Picking up a shiny new screw, Nick asked, "Oh, I think this one is a 3/8ths! How are you doing with the light? Is your arm tired?"

"No, Nick, I'm good. Thanks. So . . . ?" Jess prompted gently.

"Yeah, I don't know. It's just something I did as a kid and I kept on doing it. When I was a kid, my mom would give my dad a Honey-Do list every Saturday, and every Saturday, my dad would tell me how fun it was to fix things and ask me if I wanted to learn how. Then, he'd grab a beer, hand me a tool, and then tell me what to do while he sat back and drank. "

"So, your father Tom Sawyer'd you into doing his chores?"

"Yeah, basically. It's funny, though. Even though, looking back, I know he was just getting me to do the work, I still really enjoyed those Saturdays. I'd finish the job, and my ma would come over and admire the work. Then she'd kiss me and my dad on the cheek, and my dad would wink at me and say, 'Good job, kiddo.'"

"Mmm."

"Later on when I was in high school, my dad wasn't around as much anymore, but by then I'd learned enough to figure out things on my own. I guess I just kept on doing the fixing work."

"Nick?"

"Yeah, Jess?"

"You miss your dad, huh?"

"Yeah," he said softly.

Jess watched quietly as Nick finished tightening the new screw into the wall. Pleased with his work, he placed his screwdriver back in his toolbox and ran his hand over the brace to make sure the screw was tightened and flush. With a slight smile, Nick turned to look at Jess. "Jess?"

"Yeah, Nick?"

"You can let go of the brace now."

"Oh, yeah, right! Sconce duty in 4D is complete," she said, as she let go of the light and gave Nick a little mock salute.

"How's your arm? You were holding the light there for awhile."

"I'm okay, " she said. To prove it, she fisted her hands and flexed her biceps but ended up wincing a little.

"Here, let me. If there's anything my dad taught me, it's that you gotta make sure your assistant is okay so that they'll keep being your assistant in the future."

Nick warmed his hands and placed them on Jess' shoulders. Jess inhaled sharply. He looked curiously at her, seeking her permission for his touch. Jess was still unsettled, the tension from their kiss still not completely gone, but the sincerity in Nick's eyes calmed her. She accepted the steady warmth of his palms with a slight nod and small smile. Permission granted, his hands traveled from her shoulders to arms and gently rubbed the sore muscles there.

Closing her eyes, she exhaled and tension left her arms. "Nick?"

"Yeah, Jess." Nick watched her curiously.

"That's really good."

"Yeah?"

"Mmm. Yes" she breathed. Jess's eyes flew open. "I mean, great, Miller. My arms are good now. Thanks." She looked at Nick.

Nick laughed lightly and looked away, but mercifully, didn't say anything about her awkwardness. "You're welcome." Nick smiled, and looked at her. "Thanks, Jess."

"For what, Nick?"

"Coming to Chicago. Being with me and the guys when . . ."

"No, it's no problem!"

"No, I mean it! Let me say it! Thanks for being with the guys and me. It meant a lot to me that you were there, and I don't know if I could have gotten through everything without you.

"Yeah, no problems, Nick. What are friends for?" she said as she hugged him.

"Yeah, friends," Nick said as he released her. He slid his palms down her arms to her hands, and held them.

Relishing this rare, quiet, comfortable moment between friends Nick and Jess held hands in the warmth of the fixed light. As Nick looked down and saw her small hands enveloped in his, the moment slowly turned to something else. Nick looked back up at Jess, and his eyes turned dark and unreadable.

Feeling the shift around them, Jess flushed a delicate pink. Nick started slowly caressing her hand in small circles with his thumb. Jess closed her eyes at the sensation. For a brief moment, she imagined what it would be like to be able to enjoy his touch freely, to trade in their angry banter for honest affection, and wondered whether, in spite of their differences, they could make each other happy.

Jess opened her eyes, "Nick?"

"Yes, Jess?"

"Do you think you could show me how to fix things? I mean, I'm a single gal, and a strong independent woman, I think I need to learn how to fix things. You know, power to the sisterhood and all that!"

Nick blinked, and the moment was lost. "Um, yeah, sure of course. Are you sure?"

Jess looked at Nick, and thought of her fantasy. "Yes, Nick, I'm sure."

Nick smiled, and hugged her. "Then yes, Jess. I'd love to teach you how to fix things." He released her. She pulled away and saw a bright grin on his face.

"Well, Miller?"

"Well, Sergeant, 10am sharp, Saturday. We'll be fixing the sink, and don't forget the tools."

"Oh, well what if I don't have tools?" asked Jess.

"You don't have tools? Who doesn't have tools? What kind of . . ." teased Nick.

"MILLER!"

"Okay, 9am sharp, Saturday, we buy tools. 10am sharp, we fix a sink. Don't be late!"

"No, sir!" said Jess, as she gave a little salute and laughed. "Okay, well, night, Nick." Jess leaned in slowly, curiously. Nick gave a little nod, and Jess kissed him on the cheek. "And thanks," Jess threw over her shoulder as she retreated to her room.

"Night, Jess," Nick called out. "And thanks," he said softly as he touched the place on his cheek where she kissed him. Nick watched her as disappeared into the darkness of the apartment, and then turned out the light.


	2. Fixing Things

It was Saturday, and Nick and Jess were in her room.

Nick held the level and the stud finder against the wall. "And the whole fence, the entire fence, was straight, but inclined ever so slightly downward at a pitch of 2 degrees. So even though the fence started out the height of my dad, by the time we finished it, it was like three and a half-feet tall. It was so short, we had to wave at our neighbor every time we were in the backyard and close the bathroom curtains when we wanted to shower."

"You know, Nick? Despite all that, what I hear is a lovely story about how you spent a summer with your dad and put up an entire fence that went all the way around your backyard." Jess finished hammering the nails for the frame, put away the hammer, and looked at her handiwork.

Nick laughed. "Okay, Jess. As long as you remember the difference between straight and level." Nick put the level and stud finder back in the tool-box. "Well, Jessica, the proof is in the mounting."

Jess looked at Nick, shocked. "Excuse, me?"

Embarrassed, Nick blurted, "The picture. I mean hang the picture on the nails you just drove into the wall. See if it's level and holds."

"Oh." Jess picked up her frame and hung it on the wall. "So, Teach? How'd I do?"

Nick pulled out the level and aligned it with the top of the frame. They watched as the little air bubble bounced from side to side and slowly settled in the middle between the two guides. "Well, Jessica Day, if your intent was to have an ink print of a turtle hung on the level, I would have to say you've succeeded. Congratulations!"

"Aww, thanks, Nick." She high-fived him. "It was all thanks to my fixit fluffer."

"Yuck, no!" laughed Nick.

"Handy-job man?" teased Jess.

"Worse! You're getting pretty close to Jar territory there, Jess."

"Fine, my Handy Man. Thanks, Nick."

"You're welcome, Jess."

Nick and Jess left her bedroom. Nick put the toolbox back in his room, and Jess went into the kitchen and took two bowls and two spoons out of the cabinet. Nick came out of his bedroom and joined Jess in the kitchen.

"We have cereal, oatmeal, eggs and bananas. What's your pleasure?"

Nick went to the cupboard and drew out two mugs. "Oatmeal with bananas. Tea?"

"Yes, please," Jess answered. Nick put the tea-kettle on the stove and turned on the coffee maker.

The two made breakfast, moving around each other in the kitchen amicably preparing their meal. It had been a month since their conversation in the bathroom, and Nick and Jess had settled into a routine. Tuesday, they would chat about what project they would tackle around the house. Wednesday and Thursday, Nick would make sure they had all the materials they needed. Saturday, like clockwork, Nick and Jess would meet in the kitchen at 10am and start their project.

The first Saturday, they worked on stopping the leak in the kitchen sink. The next week involved fixing all the legs of the chairs of the dining table (a casualty of one of Winston's pranks), and last week, Nick and Jess rehung the closet door in her bedroom. Each Saturday, they would do their project and then, when they were done, they had breakfast together.

A soft click came from Schmidt's room, and Schmidt entered the room, yawning.

"Hey, morning, Schmidt. Coffee?" offered Nick.

"Thanks, man, but I've got my seaweed shake. I'm good."

"There's oatmeal and fruit too, Schmidt, if you'd like." Jess pushed the bananas over to Schmidt.

"Thanks, Jess."

A key turned in the front door, and Winston entered the apartment. "Morning guys, or should I say, goodnight."

"Hey Winston." "Hey, man!" "Winston!" the three replied. Winston waved and walked to his room.

"So how'd it go last night, Schmidt?" Nick asked.

"As usual, Nick. I crushed it. Work hard, play hard, you know?"

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Jess.

"Tuxedo fashion show, Jess. It's where all the stylish gents get the early scoop on tuxedo trends for the upcoming season. The gossip is the bowtie is making a big comeback this year," gossiped Schmidt.

"Aww. I love bowties. I think they're cool," Jess enthused.

"I'm glad you said that. I have a sample. Wait here," said Schmidt as he ran back into his room.

"Well, this should be interesting," said Nick as he continued to sip his coffee.

Winston, now changed into sweat pants, a t-shirt, and a robe, walked into the kitchen. "Hey, anymore oatmeal? And where did Schmidt go?"

"I made enough for everyone. Here Winston, help yourself. And Schmidt went in his room to show us a bowtie from the upcoming Spring Tuxedo season" explained Jess.

Unfazed, Winston started eating his oatmeal. "Cool. Thanks."

Schmidt came back into the kitchen. "Okay, so here is the bowtie. I like it because it parallels my cheekbones and highlights my strong jaw." He held the bowtie to his neck. "On the other hand, here is the skinny tie. I feel like the skinny tie draws attention to my chest, which, you have to admit, has some definition to it. Which one do you prefer, the bowtie or the tie? Bowtie or tie? Bowtie?" Schmidt held the bowtie to his neck. "Or tie." Schmidt held the tie to his neck.

After a beat, all three spoke in unison. "Tie." "Bowtie." "To be honest, I can't imagine even wanting to wear one of those things. Too fancy for me, blech."

Grumpily, Schmidt said, "Thanks, guys. Looks like I have to get an opinion from a fashion professional. Like a designer. Or maybe a model." Schmidt grinned. "A Model!" He grabbed the bowtie and tie and ran back into his room. "I'll text Cece!" he threw over his retreating shoulder.

The roommates smiled and continued eating their breakfast. "Winston, how was work?" asked Jess.

"Work was good. Really good. The show went smoothly, and I got a couple of callers in at the 5am hour. And later today, I'm supposed to meet Daisy, so things are pretty good right now."

"That's great, Winnie," said Nick.

"How about you two? What was your project this week?" asked Winston.

"Nick taught me how to stud find and level things," said Jess.

"Yeah, we just hung some more of the frames around the loft and fixed a few that were a little off," said Nick.

"That's great, guys. With all the work you two have been doing this last month, the apartment looks really great."

"Thanks, Winston." "Thanks, man."

Winston finished his breakfast and put his bowl in the sink. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to bed. Leave everything in the sink—I was last today, so I'll get dish duty tonight, all right? Good night!"

"Night, man!" "Night, Winston."

Jess and Nick sipped their tea and coffee in companionable silence. "Hey, Nick?" asked Jess.

"Yeah, Jess?"

"Winston was right, the apartment does look great, thanks to you."

"Well, you're the one doing all the work, I'm just helping out. And after all, it was your idea."

"Yeah, but you really know how to take care of things, and it means something to you. I can tell," Jess said. "Say, someday, you'll have a house, and I visit but I lose your address. I'd still be able to find you because I'd just look for the best maintained house on the block and I think to myself, 'I bet that one belongs to Miller.'"

"That, or it would be the one with the weird, slanting, infinite staircase fence," laughed Nick. Nick was happily embarrassed by Jess' unabashed praise. "Thanks, Jess. "

"Anytime, Nick," said Jess. She looked over at Nick and smiled at him. Jess finished her oatmeal, dropped her empty bowl and spoon in the sink and headed back to her room.

As she walked by Nick, she thought about the story he told her this morning. She thought about young Nick and a fence that started out tall but ended up short. She thought about adult Nick, who watched the Walking Dead with her when she was scared, protected her from non-homicidal students, and had spent every Saturday morning for a month showing her how to fix stuff. She thought, again, about the kiss they shared.

As she walked back to her room, Jess stopped next to Nick and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Nick?"

Nick looked up at her.

"Good job, kiddo," she said. She squeezed his shoulder and continued walking back to her room.

Suddenly, Nick's throat caught. He cleared his throat and turned to her retreating form. "Hey, Jess?" asked Nick.

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to say that I . . . really enjoyed fixing things this last month."

"Me too, Nick."

"No, I mean, I like the fixing things part, but I also like the part where, you know . . . "

"The part where?" asked Jess.

"The part where we talk. And share stuff. I like when you ask things about me, and I like knowing that you know some stuff, you know, about me."

"I like that you feel okay telling me stuff. And I like knowing more about you too."

Nick blushed. "Hey, Jess? Do you think we could ever do the other thing? You know, where I get to find out more about you? Or maybe you teach me something? Or something?" Frustrated, he rubbed his face with his hand. "Look, that came out weird. What I'm trying to say is . . ."

"Yeah, Nick. I think I'd like that," said Jess. "Although, to be clear, are you, you know, asking me on a daa-a-ate?" she asked uncertainly?

"NO! I mean, it's not a date, not that I wouldn't date you, I mean obviously we've established that I think you're attractive. I just mean, you know . . ." Nick trailed off helplessly.

"How about cupcakes? Baking's kind of my thing, and I had a new sugar-free red velvet cupcake recipe I wanted to try out," Jess suggested.

"Baking? Yech. Is there anything else? Do you do secret kung fu? How about water skiing? Or birdwatching?" asked Nick.

"Sorry, Miller. It's baking or the road. Or knitting. Or we could recreate that Carly Rae Jepsen video with the kids' musical instruments?" offered Jess.

"Okay, okay. Baking it is. At least I can eat something afterward, right?"

"Right. Okay, then, 10am sharp, next Saturday. And son? We're goin' get your cupcake on. ON!" Jess laughed delightedly and walked back to her room.

At the sound of Jess' laughter, a warm feeling came over him and something inside of Nick clicked into place. Where his grumpiness usually was, a month of her smiles and laughter had made a home. Putting his bowl in the sink, Nick cast one last look around the loft at all he and Jess fixed and smiled.


	3. Lover Man

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you for the kind words and comments. **

**DISCLAIMER: I am borrowing the lovely characters from New Girl.**

**SPOILERS: MAJOR SPOILER for upcoming episodes (late season 2)-maybe skip ahead if you don't want to be spoiled? Also spoilers for ****2x09 (Eggs).**

* * *

Nick opened his eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar bed. Taking a deep breath, he inhaled the scent of strawberry perfume and rolled over to find himself looking silky green robe over the back of a chair.

In the background, he heard a woman singing the theme song from Dirty Dancing.

Rubbing his hand over his face, Nick swung his legs over the side of the bed and tried to remember the previous night.

_He watched her all night as she smiled and made small talk with the customers. The bar finally closed, and, hanging up his bartender's towel, he invited her for a drink. For once, the conversation was easy, and he enjoyed the uncomplicated attraction between them. "Nick?" she said. "You know, the night's still pretty young. I've got an unwatched episode of The Walking Dead on the DVR at home, but I need some company to make it through the episode. I was wondering if you would like to maybe watch some zombie TV with me . . . ? " she trailed off invitingly. Buzzed on whiskey and reciprocated attraction, Nick looked happily into her hazel eyes and said, "Yes."_

For Nick, zombie TV turned into a beer, then two beers, then a kiss, then more kisses, and then, finally, a night spent with her. He could remember scenes from last night in flashes: a scared woman hiding her face in his chest, a kiss, the first press of skin to skin, and finally, comfort in a curtain of long brown hair. And now, surrounded strawberry perfume and the sound track of Dirty Dancing, Nick couldn't shake the feeling that something was not quite right.

"Oh, you're up! Good morning, Nick."

"Oh, hey. Good morning."

She pressed a kiss to Nick's cheek. "Hey, so, last night was . . . "

"Amazing," Nick said thoughtfully.

"Thanks," she said. She looked down and blushed, "For me too."

"Yeah," said Nick. "Listen. I like you. You're smart and funny and beautiful. You also have an appreciation for zombie culture, which, when combined with the other things, is like me being in the clubhouse when the Cubs are winning the World Series on my birthday. And there's chocolate cake."

"Um, thanks?" she laughed in confusion.

"It's just, we work together and I don't want things to be weird," explained Nick. "I like the way we work together. When I need a bottle of whiskey, you hand me bottle of whiskey . . ."

"Nick."

"If you need extra glasses or a refill on peanuts, I'm there . . . "

"Nick."

" . . . If I want to do that scene from Cocktail, where I throw the bottles around, you talk me out of it . . ."

"Nicholas!"

"WHAT?" Nick abruptly stopped.

She walked up to Nick and kissed him. "I had a great time last night. You're great, but we're co-workers, and nothing we did last night will change any of that. I will still get you whiskey, and ask for extra glasses, and I promise to keep stopping you from attempting "The Cocktail", at least when anyone's looking. We're cool, okay?"

Nick looked at her with disbelief, "Yeah, sure."

She smirked and lightly punched his arm. "Really okay?" she teased.

Nick relaxed and smiled, "Yes. Okay."

"Good. Now give me a good smooching before I kick you out and start my day," she laughed.

Nick grinned, took her in his arms, and kissed her for a moment before stopping. "Oh, just one thing?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, Nick?"

"Call me Nick, okay? I make even my mother call me Nick. Nick. Just, Nick."


	4. Breaking Things

**DISCLAIMER: I am borrowing lovely characters from the lovely New Girl.**

**SPOILERS: 2x15-17 (Cooler, Table34, Parking Spot), 2x20 (Chicago), and 1x1 (Pilot)**

**Oh and warning for swearsies (the D-word) (sorry!).**

* * *

Nick opened the door to the loft while humming softly to himself. He threw his keys, wallet, and cell phone on the table next to the door and walked to the kitchen.

"Hey Schmidt."

"Oh hey there, Dante, "Schmidt replied from the refrigerator.

"Dante?"

"Yes, Dante."

"The Italian poet?"

"Yes."

"As in Dante, the Italian poet, the one who wrote the Inferno?"

"Yes. The very one and the same."

"Okay, this is weird, even for you, Schmidt. Why are you calling me by the name of a dead Italian poet?"

"'Abandon hope all ye who enter.' As in abandon hope. As in what Jess did 3 hours ago when you failed to show up for some cupcake related activity at precisely 10am this morning."

"WHAT?!"

"Completely ruined my fortified breakfast seaweed shake. The extra salt from her tears pulled the moisture out of my shake. A seaweed shake without water is just seaweed, Nick, SEAWEED!"

"SHUT UP, SCHMIDT!" Nick yelled at him. "Damn it! Jess? JESS! I'M SORRY! JESS!" Nick yelled as he ran to Jess' bedroom.

"It's too late, man. She waited for half an hour, and when you didn't show up she went to have brunch with Cece," Schmidt yelled to Nick. "Didn't you get her text, man? She was sitting here with her rabbit-eared phone texting, all disappointed like."

Nick ran back into the living room and picked up his phone. "Damn it! I put the phone on silent so it wouldn't wake us up."

"'Us', Nick? You didn't want the phone to wake more than just you up?" asked Schmidt. He looked at Nick and shook his head. "What are you doing, man? What's your game, player?"

"Not now, Schmidt!" said Nick. He scrolled through his texts.

From SCHMIDT (Fri, 4:30pm): Saw a sneak peak at 2013 Tom Ford suit, and it looks VERY similar to my 2012 Thom Browne. Now if I could just get a bowtie made out of that pink whale material from my Kanye belt, I'd be in heaven. Good taste is always in style, my man. Holla!

From WINSTON (Fri, 7:27pm): Hey Nick, Daisy invited me over. Can we fire up the DVR so I take a rain check on The Walking Dead this week? Thx.

From ZOMBIESvsNINJAS (Fri, 7:59pm): Hello zombie fan! The zombies vs. ninjas mud run will take place March 12 this year. Will you be the undead or the assassin? Pre-register today our 2013 website.

From JESS (Fri, 9pm): Hey Nick. FYI, do you remember how I couldn't remember which screwdriver was which? I tied different colored bows on my screwdrivers so I can easily tell which one is flat and which one is Philips. Mini bowties! Yay! Looking forward to baking things tomorrow.

From JESS (Sat, 10:10am): Hey Nick. You up? I'm waiting in the kitchen with Philip and Isabella (I named my screwdrivers!). We've got eggs, bacon, and the materials for cupcakes. Come get your cupcake ON!

From JESS (Sat, 10:35am): Oh, hey, Nick. I must have missed you this morning. No worries. See you later in the loft.

Nick read the last text to Schmidt. "Damn it!" Nick cursed softly. He ran his hand over his face. "I was supposed to let Jess teach me to bake this morning, and I forgot. What do I do now?"

"Well, Nick, you have two options. Option number 1, in that last text, Jess gave you an out by pretending it was okay. You could nonchalantly, but sincerely, apologize next time you see her. Option number 2, Jess was clearly upset this morning when you didn't show. You can acknowledge how upset she was and do your best to make it up to her."

Nick thought about his options. Old Nick, pre-kiss Nick, would have felt bad but probably nonchalantly and sincerely apologized. New Nick, post-kiss Nick thought about how vulnerable Jess looked the night he kissed her. He thought about how brave she was to come to Chicago and meet his family. He remembered the other night in the bathroom, fixing the light with Jess, and how she was brave and vulnerable when she asked Nick to share himself with her.

"Schmidt?"

"Yeah, Nick?"

"I'll see you later, okay? There's something I gotta go do."

"Okay, man. But before you go? You're my best friend, and I love you and I respect you . . . "

"Yeah, but?"

"Jess, she's something special," Schmidt finished. Nick looked blankly at him. "Jar, Nick. Jar."

On his way out the door, Nick, pressed $10 into the douchebag jar.


	5. Brunch

"At first, I didn't believe it, Cece. I didn't believe that after a month of hanging out together and spending time together and fixing things together, the one time he asks about and seems genuinely interested in me, he ditches me! And I waited there, with two screwdrivers with bow ties, eggs, flour, sugar, and fresh whipping cream like an idiot, and he never showed."

"Did you say you put bow ties on your screw drivers?"

"Yes, Cece. I put bow ties on my screwdrivers so I could tell which one was Phillips and which one was Isabella. I mean, flat head."

"Jess, this is like the one time when Nick happened to forget he was supposed to meet you. Think about all the other times when he's been there for you when you needed him. Or really, when you didn't."

"Well, there was the time with Melon Nick and the scratching," admitted Jess.

"Yeah, and what about the time he protected you from that homicidal student that was actually just into anime?" reminded Cece. "And what about that first Christmas in the loft?"

"Cece, he told Paul I didn't love him and then sat there as Paul and I had that long and awkward break up conversation."

"Well, Jess, he was locked out. And you wanted to break up with Paul anyway. And he made that big detour, missed his flight, and took you to see Ice Magic Folly Street." Cece thought a second. "Jolly Jingle Bell Alley? Christmas Santa Circle Drive."

"Candy Cane Lane," grumped Jess.

"Yeah, fine whatever. The point is that even though Nick is far from perfect, he cares about you. A lot. And you know that. The question is how do you feel?"

Jess scrunched her nose in frustration. "I don't know, Ceec. Nick's a friend, and my roommate. He's a good guy. And yeah, when he kisses me, it's like time stops and I forget my own name. And yeah, maybe I care about him, but he drives me NUTS!"

"Wait, what did you say?"

"That he drives me NUTS!"

"No! The part where you said you care about him. Oh my gosh, Jessica Day, do you care about Nick?"

"What? No. Nick? Sure, I care about him as a friend. Yeah, whatever. I care about all my friends! So what?"

"Really, so if Winston forgot he was supposed to meet you, you'd call me for an emergency brunch?"

"Yeah, sure of course, whatever. You know how I am about punctuality. That's why they call me Punctuality Patty."

"Stop. No one has ever called you that," insisted Cece. "Or say you made cupcakes for Schmidt and he didn't acknowledge them. You mean to tell me you'd pout and send passive aggressive texts telling him that its okay that he didn't eat your cupcakes."

"First of all, Schmidt doesn't eat carbs. And second, yeah, sure, of course, whatever. That's why they call me Passive Aggressive Patty . . ."

"Stop! You know the only reason you got upset is that this thing with Nick meant something. Because you CARE about him. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here, we wouldn't be talking about this for over an hour, and we wouldn't be stress eating cinnamon vanilla pancakes with a side of French toast. Which, by the way, are fantastic—way to pick a fabulous brunch spot!"

Defeated, Jess slouched in her seat and pouted. "I didn't get my cupcakes, and I still wanted something sweet."

Seeing how sad Jess was, Cece leaned forward the held Jess' non-fork holding hand. "Jess. Did you ever think that maybe Nick forgot because he didn't realize how important these Saturday appointments with him are to you? I love you, babe, but Nick is a grown man with his own life, and unless he has a reason to think of your times together as something special, unless he knows why you're spending every Saturday together doing stuff together, fixing the sink or making cupcakes with you will be just like any other roommate loft activity to him." She squeezed Jess' hand, then leaned back. "Talk to him, sweetie."

"You're right, Ceec. I thought I asked him to spend time with me because I wanted to fix the weird awkwardness between us since we kissed. But now, to be honest, I like spending time with him, and I like getting to know him." Jess sighed. "It's not just about fixing stuff anymore, Cece. I like him."

Cece looked at Jess with a small smile. "I know, hon. You just gotta tell him that," Cece said as she returned her attention to her French toast.

"Okay," Jess said solemnly.

"When he's awake. And not by singing!" Cece pointed her fork at Jess.

"Okay! Okay! Conscious and spoken. Promise!" exclaimed Jess.

"And NO puppets!" said Cece. Jess laughed.


	6. Subterfuge

**DISCLAIMER: I am borrowing the amazing characters from New Girl.**

**SPOILERS: S2x15, S2x17 **

**AUTHORS'S NOTE: Thank you for the kindness and encouragement. A bit of resolution is coming up, and the story's end is not far in sight! **

* * *

To cheer Jess up, Cece took Jess to the craft store where Jess spent an hour and a half looking over the different colored balls of yarn, knitting needle extenders, and ribbons she would need for the new hat she was making. Cece helped Jess by offering feedback on various color combinations of yarn and ribbon. After settling on a ball of teal yarn and deep purple ribbons ("I'll make a peacock hat!," exclaimed Jess), Jess and Cece purchased their items and left the store.

Next, Cece and Jess went to the lotion store.

"Cece, what do you think about this one? I think this one is brown sugar pomengranate, but I can't decide if I like this one more than the vanilla one I usually buy." Jess rubbed a bit of lotion on a tester, waved the tester in the air in front of her nose, and sniffed the air.

"Mmm?" asked Cece distractedly.

Jess looked over at Cece and saw that she was texting. "Oh, I'm sorry, I can give you some privacy," Jess took her tester and lotion and started moving to the other side of the room.

"What? Oh, no, Jess, I'm sorry, I just got distracted. Sure, let me smell that one?" asked Cece. Jess moved closer to Cece and let her sniff the tester. "Hmm. I like that one. It's different. But, I don't know—the vanilla one smells homey, and it makes me think of you. You could get both maybe? Aren't they 3 for $15? Then I could get one too."

"Sure, Cece!" beamed Jess. Cece smiled, and went back to texting.

"Cece?" asked Jess. Jess placed the tester in the waste bin and placed two lotions, vanilla and brown sugar pomengranate, in her shopping basket.

"Yeah, Jess?" asked Cece. She looked up curiously from her phone.

"Thanks for today. You're a good friend." Jess smiled.

"Any time, Jess. Any time," Cece smiled back at her. Cece went back to texting.

* * *

Jess and Cece spent the rest of the afternoon together. Finally, afternoon turned to evening, and at 5:30pm, Cece said to Jess, "Well, girl, I should probably start heading back. I promised Nadia and the girls I'd go out with them to this new club. If you'd like, I can swing by your place and drop you off?"

"That's great, Cece. Thanks!" replied Jess. Jess and Cece got into Cece's car and rode in companionable silence to the loft.

As Cece pulled into the visitor parking spot outside the loft, Jess sighed. "I suppose I have to tell Nick sometime, right? Just have the courage and dive right in."

Cece and Jess got out of the car. "Well, it's lucky then that you, Jess Day, have buckets of courage." As they walked into the building and rode up the elevator to the fourth flour, Cece gave a small, secret smile, and looked at Jess out of the corner of her eye. "Besides, something tells me that you and Nick will work things out."

Jess looked at Cece with gratitude but saw the secret smile that Cece was giving her. "Thanks, Ceec . . . wait a minute. I know that smile. Cece Parekh, are you hiding something from me? Why are you giving me that smile? What do you know that I don't know?"

"Jess, you know I love you, and I only did it for your own good." The elevator dinged, and the doors opened onto the fourth floor. "Now do me a favor. Give your hair a good, model, shimmy-shake, and take a bit of this lotion and put it on here . . . and here. Great. Now use my lip gloss . . . " Cece mumbled as she tended to Jess' ablutions.

"Cece! What are you doing? Why are you doing this? What is going on!" exclaimed Jess.

"Okay, you're set. Now remember, be brave, and speak from your heart," Cece coached as they approached the door to 4D. Jess gave her a dubious, but excited look, unlocked the door, and stepped into the loft.

"Oh. My. God." gawked Jess.

"Well, Winston, I think that's our cue. Nick, man, have a good night. Jess, no matter what, we love you. Right, Winston?" asked Schmidt. Schmidt gathered his wallet and keys and walked toward the door.

"Nick, I love you. Don't screw this up. And Jess, I hope you have a good night," said Winston. On their way out the door, Winston and Schmidt both gave Jess a hug and greeted Cece.

"Boys, this looks great!" beamed Cece.

"Thanks for helping out, Cece. We couldn't have done it without you," replied Winston.

"Cece! Way to keep our girl, Jess, out of the loft, and way to bring her back just in time. As a reward, let me show you my new Spring 2013 bowtie," bragged Schmidt as he.

"Enough with the bowties!" laughed an exasperated Cece as the three left the apartment. "Schmidt, you can only come to the club with us if you do not wear that bowtie. And Winston, I hope you'll be able to come with us as well?"

"Daisy and I have dinner plans, but thanks. Maybe we'll come afterwards, if that's all right?" asked Winston.

The door shut softly behind them and left in the loft were Nick and Jess.


	7. Baking Things

**SPOILERS: S2x02 (Katie), S2X15 (Cooler)**

* * *

Jess looked around the loft. She saw that all the tables of the loft were decorated with bunches of yellow daisies tied with blue ribbons, and small, lit candles were placed around the room. One of the guys had hooked up their ipod to a computer, and soft jazz music filled the loft. As Jess walked into the living room, she saw the flowers and candles and heard the music and finally, she saw Nick.

Nick was standing in an apron next to the kitchen table surrounded icing bags, bowls, cake and muffin tins, spatulas, a vase, and all the ingredients for cupcakes that Jess had put out this morning. Walking toward him, Jess looked at the materials on the table, then looked up to find Nick smiling softly at her. When Jess reached Nick, he pulled his hand from behind his back and gave her a small bouquet of yellow daisies tied with a blue ribbon.

"Nick, I . . . " stuttered Jess.

"Jess, wait, I need to say something," Nick said. Jess closed her mouth and looked at him.

"Jess, I'm sorry about this morning. I screwed up. I know we were supposed to spend time together this morning, and I forgot. It's my fault, and I'm stupid, and I hurt your feelings."

"Nick, it's okay . . . "

"No, wait, I'm not done," Nick interrupted. "I know it's been weird between us ever since that kiss. I don't know what we are anymore, if we're friends or something else. But what I do know is that you matter to me, Jess. Your friendship matters to me, and I would never, ever want to hurt you again. I hope you'll forgive me, and if you'll still let me, I would love if you would still show me how to bake stuff."

Jess took the bouquet that Nick offered and looked at it. The bouquet was simple, charming, and friendly. The flowers were bright yellow and fresh, and the stems were green and crisp and still slightly moist. The florist had taken a deep, blue, glossy ribbon, tied it around the stems in a bow, and lightly curled the ends so that they wrapped around the flower stems prettily. They were flowers that you would give a friend or a new crush, not a lover, and they were flowers that spoke of friendship, affection, and fondness. They were perfect.

Jess looked at Nick, who was standing there nervously waiting for her response. Jess smiled, placed her hand on Nick's elbow and squeezed it. With her other hand, she placed the bouquet of flowers in the vase on the table. "Nick, this is perfect."

"Really?" Nick asked, in disbelief.

"Really," smiled Jess. "Thanks." Jess turned and hugged Nick.

Nick hugged Jess back hard and relaxed into her. He closed his eyes tightly and held onto her far longer and harder than either good sense or friendship dictated. For some reason, this small, goofy woman had wound her way into his heart with her smiles and good cheer. Until this moment, he hadn't realized how worried he had been that his mistakes would ruin what he had with her. Yet, despite the kiss, the panic moonwalk, the misplaced jealousy, and the awkwardness, she stayed, and Nick was grateful.

They released each other, and Nick laughed shakily, "Yay, okay, so are we gonna bake or what?" Jess laughed.

* * *

As promised, Jess taught Nick her recipe for cupcakes. Jess sat at the kitchen island and told Nick step by step how to assemble the batter, how to apportion the cupcake batter into the baking cups, and told him the timing and temperature for baking. After a few minutes of chatting and watchful waiting, Nick took the pan of cupcakes out of the oven, walked to the kitchen island, and set them on the cooling rack for Jess' inspection. "I don't know, Jess, they kind of looked finished to me," Nick said as he peered at the cupcakes.

Jess picked up a spatula, walked over to the cooling rack, and gave the pan a slight whack with the spatula's bladed end. "You're right, Nick, they look done. But do you see how the middle of them still jiggle a bit? On the outside, they're done, but their insides still need a bit work work. If you take them out now and tried to eat one, it would be a mess." Jess took the oven mitts from Nick, picked up the cupcakes, and put them back in the hot oven. Jess checked the kitchen clock and checked the recipe. "About 12 more minutes should do it."

Once the cupcakes were in the oven, Nick offered to make Jess a drink while they were waiting.

"So, wait, you mean to tell me you funded an entire spring break ski trip, for you and your friends, by baking cupcakes and selling them?" asked Nick incredulously. Nick stirred sugar and whiskey together and added a dash of bitters. "Now, where'd I put that orange?" he asked himself distractedly.

"Oh, sorry, here, I'm eating it," volunteered Jess. She passed him the untouched portion of the orange, along with the cherry and lemon. "Yeah, although, to be honest, we stayed in a tiny little motel, and basically stayed there for a week. And we only had enough so that every day, only two of us could go skiing while the rest of us had to stay back and play board games. But it was fun, and as it turned out, I discovered I wasn't too shabby at Clue."

"Wait, which one was Clue? That's not the one with the little pieces and the dice . . . " asked Nick.

"Nick, everyone one of those games has little pieces and some dice," laughed Jess.

"No, I mean, where you go around the take over the world?" Nick muddled the drink and looked at Jess.

"NO, Nick, that's Risk," explained Jess.

"Oh, wait, I know, that's the one where you have a battleship and you try to bomb the other guy's battleship!" Nick teased.

"NICK! That's, appropriately enough, Battleship," chuckled Jess.

"Oh, wait, seriously now. That's the one where you have cards and you put them in groups or sequences according to color and you take off your clothes."

"Oh my gosh, Miller, that's strip poker, and now you're just teasing me," laughed Jess.

"What can I say? A college age Jess playing poker kind of hits my sweet spot. A guy can dream, can't he?" laughed Nick. "Still, Jessica Day, board games and all, that sounds like it would have been a lot of cupcakes to make," Nick laughed as he slid the Old Fashioned toward her.

"Nicholas Miller, it was a lot of cupcakes," smiled Jess, then she sipped her drink. "Oh, Nick, that's the best! That fantastic," she looked up at Nick and beamed. She placed her hand on Nick's and squeezed it. "Thanks."

Nick's happy expression turned thoughtful, and he held her hand in his. Gently turning her palm over, like a fortune-teller, Nick traced the lines on Jess' hand with his thumb. As if their limbs belonged to someone else, Nick and Jess watched his fingers caress her hand. Gently, he raised his palm and placed it on top of hers, his second and third fingers lightly caressing the quickening pulse at her wrist. Nick cleared his throat and looked up at her, his face serious. "Jess, there's something I have to tell you."

Jess took a deep breath. _Now is the time. Be brave, just like Cece said, _thought Jess. "Nick, there's something I have to tell you too . . . " Jess trailed off. She looked up at him, and saw a pained expression on his face. Small alarm bells started going off in her head, and in her fear, she imagined the worst. "But can it wait?"

Nick looked at her, unsure. He knew what he had to say might hurt her, but he needed to be honest. He owed her the truth. "I don't know, Jess. Are you sure? What I need to say isn't going to change any time soon."

Jess looked down at their hands, and said, thoughtful, "Nick, I know that we both have things to say. Complicated things that need to be said. But can we . . . I mean, I'd like it if we could . . . do you think we could just have this night for us? 'Weird, complicated, friends that are sometimes attracted to one another' us? I just . . . I want one more night to enjoy whatever it is we have before it changes into whatever it is it's going to change into. Because after that there's no turning back, is there?"

Nick looked at Jess thoughtfully. Slowly, as if still unsure, he removed his palm from her wrist and went back to making a drink for himself. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled shakily and said, "You know, it's been awhile. Didn't you say something about taking the thing out after 12 minutes?

Jess looked at her empty palm. Without Nick's hand, her palm felt cold, small and empty. Closing her eyes, Jess silently willed her racing pulse to slow down, counted to 10 and then opened her eyes. "You know, Nick, you're right. Would you mind checking on those?" While Nick turned his back on her to approach the oven, Jess took her drink and placed it quietly next to the sink. _No more alcohol tonight!_

Jess turned around to see Nick reach into the oven with his hands. "Oh, and don't forget to use the . . . "

"Yeow! Ouch! Fluffer nutter!" yelled Nick.

"Oven mitts," finished Jess. Jess walked over with the oven mitts, and Nick went to the sink and ran his finger under cold water. Pulling the cupcakes out of the oven, Jess looked over her shoulder and asked Nick, "You okay? Are you burned badly?"

Nick looked at his fingers. "Nope, mostly just heat than burn. I'll be fine." He shut off the sink and turned back to Jess. "How'd they turn out?"

Jess looked at their work. "Well, Nick, if you intention was to make sweet, moist delectable baked goods, I'd say you've accomplished your goal. Congratulations!" Jess and Nick high-fived each other and smiled. Jess looked at her cell phone. "Well, Nick, it's super late, and these babies need to cool down to frost. What do you say we call it a night, let them cool down, and I'll frost them tomorrow?"

"Sounds good, Jess. And thanks again for the lesson. Thanks to you, I'm a baking stud," said Nick as he shot Jess two finger-guns.

At the unexpected and physically demonstrative praise, Jess laughed delightedly. "Oh, my gosh, Nicholas Miller, you're awesome." She pulled him in for a hug. "Thank you for spending time with me. It meant a lot."

Nick smiled and hugged her back. She felt good in his arms. Nick inhaled deeply-_Oh, Vanilla! That's what it is, _thought Nick—and exhaled, and relaxed into her embrace.

They slowly released each other. "Night, Nick," Jess said and smiled. Giving her elbow one last squeeze, Nick smiled. "'Night, Jess." He watched as she turned, walked to her room, and closed her door. Nick walked to the kitchen and made sure the oven was turned off. Walking around the apartment, he gathered all the flowers into the vase. Finally, he blew the candles out one by one and, with one last glace at Jess' door, blew out the last light.


	8. Putting Out Fires

"Winston, Daisy! You made it!" Schmidt cheered. "Cece, look! It's Winston and Daisy!"

"Hey guys!" said Winston. He ushered Daisy into the booth where Schmidt and Cece were sitting. He followed Daisy into the booth and sat down. "This place is great! Thanks for inviting us."

"Hi guys. Nice to meet you again. Cece. Schmidt," greeted Daisy. "I've been trying to get into this place for weeks. Thanks for inviting us out."

"You're welcome, guys. It was nothing. Nadia knew a guy who knew a guy, so it was no problem to get in," said Cece. "Did you guys have a nice dinner?"

"Yeah, we did! Thanks. Winston, here, took me to a new place I was wanting to try, and I had a really great time. Thanks, babe!" beamed Daisy. She turned to face Winston and patted him on his chest. Winston smiled back at her and covered her hand in his. Daisy smiled, dropped her hand, and turned back around to Cece and Schmidt. "How about you guys? Are you having a nice time here?"

"Well, I am," said Cece. Cece looked at Schmidt, who looked at Winston.

"I'm just worried, Winston, about our boy, Nick," said Schmidt.

"Schmidt, now I keep telling you . . . " began Winston.

"I know, I know, that it's none of our business. Not that I don't believe in Nick, mind you, but the loft dynamics, man. They must be preserved, and Nick and Jess . . . together? That changes things," worried Schmidt.

"Then why did you help Nick apologize to Jess, Schmidt?" asked Winston.

"Loft dynamics. Until they figure out whether they will or they won't, someone's gotta help put out the fires lit by their unresolved sexual tension." Cece and Winston groaned. "What, am I right or am I right?" asked Schmidt.

"Schmidt." prodded Cece.

"What, Cecilia?" asked Schmidt.

Cece slugged back the remainder of her drink, took Schmidt's hand, and pulled him to his feet. "Dance with me?" asked, smiling at Schmidt. Schmidt smiled back, and parkour-ran to the dance floor with Cece in tow.

"You know, babe, I think they have the right idea. Dance with me?" Daisy asked Winston.

"Any time, babe. You know I'm your mojo man. And the mojo man is always here!" Winston replied. "Mojo man, mojo man!" Winston grooved as he pulled Daisy to the dance floor. Daisy laughed.


	9. Feelings and Metaphors

**DISCLAIMER: **I am unabashedly borrowing the characters from New Girl.

**SPOILERS: **S2x03 (Fluffer)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Thank you for all the kind words and comments so far. After this, two chapters to go-DRAMA, then a happy ending, I promise.

* * *

Two weeks passed since Jess and Nick had made up, and things in the loft had returned to normal. Winston went to work at night and hung out with Daisy during the day. Schmidt continued being a superman, killing it as a professional by day, chillaxing in his kimono at night. In an unspoken truce, Nick and Jess resumed their friendship, but instead of running away from the awkwardness of their kiss, the two seemed to relish it. Bumping into each other in the hallway or brushing their teeth no longer resulted in backward panic moonwalks or swift sprints in search of another room at the opposite end of the loft. By mutual permission, an accidental brush of their hands or a reciprocated gaze could be enjoyed knowing that both the parties suffered the mutual embarrassment of unexpected intimacy.

One afternoon, Nick was at the fridge, preparing a sandwich before his shift at the bar, and Winston walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, Nick," said Winston.

"Hey, Winston. I'm in the fridge here, you want anything? I'm making a sandwich. Do you want one?" asked Nick.

"Nah, man. I'm good," yawned Winston. "Jess is coming home soon, and I promised I'd watch the DVR's Walking Dead with her, you know since . . . "

"Yeah, I know, she doesn't like to watch it alone," smiled Nick.

Winston studied Nick carefully. Nick was smiling to himself as he assembled his sandwich. "Nick?" asked Winston.

"Yeah, Winnie?"

"What kind of bread are you using for your sandwich?" asked Winston.

"I don't know. Multi-something? Jess picked it up at the store and said she thought I'd like it. I don't know, I can't tell the difference, but it's not awful," said Nick.

"And what are you putting on it?" Winston asked, his eyebrow raised in disbelief.

"I don't know, man. Some cucumber thing?" asked Nick distractedly.

"Nick, are you actually making yourself . . . a HEALTHY lunch . . . to take to work INSTEAD of just eating bar food like you usually do?" asked Winston. "You, Nick Miller, are willingly eating something with grain and vegetables?"

Nick shrugged. "Yeah, I don't know, Winston. Jess bought some extra sandwich stuff so I wouldn't have to buy my lunch at work. Why, do you want a sandwich, man, or something? I'm sure Jess wouldn't mind, 'cause I can make one for you. Or, here you go, man. Here are the ingredients—you want to make yourself a sandwich?" asked Nick.

Winston looked at Nick, and shook his head and laughed. Nick looked at him in confusion. Winston smiled, walked over to Nick, and clapped his hand on his shoulder. "It's nothing, Nick, nothing. I'm just glad to see you start taking care of yourself." Winston walked over to the fridge and opened it. "Oh, and Nick?" asked Winston over his shoulder.

"Yeah, Winnie?" asked Nick as he started to pack his stuff for work. He looked over at Winston with curiosity.

Winston turned around to look at him. Over the last two weeks, Winston had watched as Nick and Jess awkwardly danced around their attraction to each other. The occurrences of Nick's turtle face had steadily decreased, replaced by the smallest of grins and soft humming. On the few occasions when he heard Nick give a big laugh, more often than not, he would find Nick and Jess sitting on the couch, heads together, pouring over some article or watching a TV show. He thought about all the small changes happening to Nick and about the small, cheerful, goofy woman seemingly related to those changes. Looking back at Nick, who had finished packing for work, Winston sighed. "Nothing, man. Have a good shift at the bar."

Nick smiled. "Thanks, man. And tell Jess I'm sorry I couldn't watch TWD with you guys." Nick gathered his things, shot a finger gun at Winston with his free hand, and walked out the door.

Winston just shook his head and looked back at the fridge. "Loft dynamics, man. Schmidt was right."

* * *

That evening, Winston and Jess sat on the couch, eating ice cream as scenes of TWD played on the TV in front of them.

"Wow. I did not see that plot twist coming," said Winston. Not taking his eyes off the screen for a second, Winston continued to eat perfectly several spoonfuls of strawberry ice cream.

Watching the show with one eye shut ("If I blink, the zombies will get me!" Jess had whispered), Jess looked at Winston. "Winston. How can you eat like that?" asked Jess.

"What, do you mean how can I eat red ice cream while watching the fleshy gorefest that is this zombie show?" asked Winston, still enraptured by the screen.

"No, I mean how do perfectly eat your ice cream without taking an eye off the screen? I'm trying to do it with one eye, and I'm a mess," laughed Jess.

Winston laughed and looked at her. "It's all those passing drills from basketball, Jess. Hand-'corner of the eye' coordination is a skill that applies not only to bounce passes, but ice cream too. " Winston smiled. "By the way, I saw Nick before he went to the bar tonight. He said he's sorry he couldn't be home to watch this with us."

Jess smiled, but stayed silent. She looked thoughtfully at her bowl of ice cream and poked it a little too hard with her spoon. Out of the corner of his eye, Winston watched her, but kept quiet.

"You know, I wonder if the whole zombie thing was, at one point, a metaphor for something?" Jess mused.

"You know, Jess, I hadn't thought about that before. I suppose it's possible. What kind of metaphor did you have in mind?" asked Winston. "OH, he did not just eat that guy's leg!" Winston yelled at the screen.

Jess continued to stab her ice cream. "Well, you know how vampires were like a cautionary tale about the evils of unrestrained lust . . . "

"Go on," prompted Winston. "Oh, that's GOTTA hurt!" he yelled, distractedly.

"Or werewolves were stories about hidden animal desires . . . " continued Jess.

"Wow. I think you just reinterpreted the whole Twilight series for me, Jess," laughed Winston. "Oh, man, THE CROSSBOW! USE THE CROSSBOW!"

"I just wonder if zombies are a metaphor for something. You know, like how the zombies can't feel and can't communicate and are walking around in this half-alive state? Maybe it's saying that people need to talk about their feelings more. You know?" she said softly.

Winston paused the TV show and put down his bowl of ice cream. "Okay, Jess, that is IT."

Eyes widening, Jess looked at Winston, "What?"

Winston took Jess' ice cream bowl from her hands and placed it on the table. Turning back to Jess, Winston took her two hands into his and looked her in the eye. "Okay, Jess, I'm going to say this once and one time only. I've known Nick all my life, and he has never, ever been good about talking about his feelings. Once, he had a crush on a girl in 2nd grade, and instead of giving to her a Valentine on Valentine's Day, he gave her a stink beetle. In 5th grade, he told a girl he liked her by tackling her, actually tackling her, in a touch football game. Nick. Is NOT Good. At talking about his feelings. "

"Winston!" Jess protested.

"Now, I don't' know exactly what is going on between you two. Frankly, it's none of my business, and as long as the loft dynamic stays good, I'm good. But I've watched you two for the last two weeks, laughing and touching and sitting together . . . Today, I watched Nick actually put together a lunch for himself, with vegetables, for work tonight. The other day, I saw him put laundry in the washing machine. With soap. And the way you two actually fixed things around the loft last month, instead of the usual random plunger whacking that goes on?"

"Winston . . ."

"Now, Jess, Nick hasn't said anything to me, and even if he did, I couldn't tell you because I respect him and it's not my place. But from what I can see, these last few weeks, Nick has been happier than he's been in a long time. And as his friend, I'm happy for him." Winston looked Jess in the eye, and said softly, "Jess, I think . . . you make him happy."

Jess looked at Winston blankly for a moment, then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, Winston." She squeezed his hands, and they released each other. "You know, I suddenly remembered something I needed to tell Nick. Is it okay if I . . ." she asked. Jess started walking to her bedroom.

"Yes. And tell Nick I said hi," said Winston.

Giving Winston one last wave, Jess ran to her room and put on a dress. Giving her hair a quick brush, Jess grabbed her purse and her keys and ran out the door.

Looking at her fleeing form, Winston picked up his bowl of ice cream and pressed play on the DVR. "Loft dynamics, man," he said. Winston shook his head and smiled.


	10. Slow Night at the Bar

**DISCLAIMER: **I am borrowing characters from New Girl.

**SPOILERS:** One for S2x02 (Katie), S2x15 (Cooler), S2x18 (Tinfinity) and, in general way, for S2x19 (Guy's Night).

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Lots of yelling! And one swearsies (the d-word). (Sorry)

* * *

"Looks like we'll get to call it an early night, Nick. The bar's been pretty slow," said Lucy.

"Hey, as long as I'm still getting paid, I have no problems with it being slow around here," Nick said as he wiped the bar. He looked at Lucy and smiled. "And, as long as it's slow, maybe the boss won't mind if I head home early, right?" Nick teased.

"Well, seeing as I'm the boss, and I'm thinking of closing up early, I'd say that's a safe bet," Lucy replied. "You sure I can't persuade you to come hang out, Nick? Charles and I are having an 80's movie night with my friends, and tonight is 'Back to the Future' night. "

"Which one are you guys seeing? The first, second, or third?" asked Nick.

"Oh, the first one, definitely. Are you kidding me? It's got time travel, Chuck Berry's cousin, Marvin, and an anachronistic guitar solo. Is there even any question?" laughed Lucy.

"Well, when you put it like that, how can a guy resist?" laughed Nick. "Actually, I've got a thing tonight at the loft, but thanks," he admitted. "If you don't mind me asking, how are you and Charles, anyway? It's been, what, almost two weeks?"

"Yeah, just about. Things are great. I like him. I really like him. He's meeting my friends tonight. We'll see how it goes, but I hope they'll like him too."

"Well, I liked him. I mean, I was just his bartender; all I know is that he likes his whiskey, and he tips really well. But in my book, that makes him an okay guy," said Nick. "Seriously, though, I'm glad it's working out."

Lucy smiled and walked to Nick. "Well, it just goes to show you, you can be heartbroken about a cute guy at work one day, and the next day, you meet the love of your life in a coffee shop. That's life, I guess," she said.

"Trust me, if it's between the guy at work and a handsome, mysterious stranger at a coffee shop, if movies have taught me anything, it's that you go for the handsome stranger in the coffee shop, right?" teased Nick. "No question."

She lightly punched his arm. "Hey, you know, when you first told me you couldn't see me anymore, I was kind of disappointed. But everything's really worked out with Charles, and I'm really glad that we've been able to stay friends," said Lucy. "Thanks for being honest with me, Nick. You're really great." She leaned in and kissed Nick on the cheek.

"You're pretty great too, Lucy. Charles's a lucky guy," smiled Nick. Nick heard footsteps approach the bar. Nick, ensconced in his moment with Lucy, turned to face the patron walking toward them. "Hey, I'm sorry, we're closing early tonight, so . . . " started Nick. Seeing who it was, Nick's face broke out into a broad grin. "Oh, hey Jess. I thought you were watching TWD with Winston."

Jess looked at Nick with a funny look on her face. "Hey, Nick. I, um decided to stop by the bar and say hi," she said awkwardly.

"Jess, you okay?" asked Nick. Lucy nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. "Oh, hey, and this is Lucy, my boss. She was just saying that I could maybe go home early, so I was just about to head out to see if I could catch the end of TWD with you and Winston."

"Jess, I'm so happy to meet you. Nick has told me so much about you," smiled Lucy.

"Hi, Lucy. I'm Jess. I'm sorry if I disturbed you and Nick," said Jess. "I'm sorry to have come by. I know you weren't expecting me. It's late, so I'll, just, um head back home."

"Wait, no, Jess, wait. I'm just about to head out. I can ride home with you, if you'd like," offered Nick.

"No, Nick, I'm good. I'm sorry I disturbed you and Lucy. Have a good night!" exclaimed Jess as she turned around and left the bar.

"Well, THAT was weird, even for Jess," said Nick. He looked at her retreating form, and his face turtled in a contortion of confusion and concern.

"Oh, Nick. Nick! What if she saw me, just now? When I kissed you? What if she saw that and thought . . . " Lucy asked.

"Wait, what?" asked Nick. Nick thought back to the last few minutes, before Jess arrived. "Oh, crap. CRAP!" Nick slammed his fist into the bar. "Listen, Lucy, I gotta go . . ."

"Yeah, I know, Nick. It's okay. I'll see you tomorrow. I hope things work out with her!" offered Lucy.

"I hope so too, Lucy," he said. Nick hastily gathered his things and ran after Jess.


	11. The Porcupines' Dilemma, Resolved

"Jess! JESS! Wait up!" yelled Nick.

"No, Nick. Go away! Go away, Nick!"

"Jess, I'm sorry! It's not what you think!"

"No, Nick. I can't, I just can't! Please!"

"Jess!"

Nick caught up to Jess, who had stopped walking. He gently her elbow and turned her to face him. "Jess, please. What you saw wasn't what you saw!"

"Nick, please! I saw her kiss you. I saw you smile at her. I can't do this right now. I can't do it."

"Jess, please. Just listen to me. Just listen to me for a minute!" pleaded Nick. "What you saw, what you think you saw, Jess? Yes, she kissed me, but that kiss . . . it was a thank you . . ."

Angry tears welled in the corner of her eye as she yelled in disbelief at her roommate. "Oh, my gosh, Nick. That's gross. Why would you tell me that?" Jess yelled.

"NO! Not like that. It was a thank you and a good bye. Jess, two weeks ago, I told her I couldn't see her anymore, and yeah, we kind of had a thing, but it's over. It's OVER! And she's moved on."

"And what about you, Nick? I mean, gosh, I didn't even know you were seeing someone. Why didn't you tell me, Nick? You kissed me!" she yelled. Jess tried to turn her body away from him and closed her eyes. "How could I have been so stupid?"

"I didn't tell you because it wasn't even really a thing. It was one time, and it was a mistake, and I was too afraid to tell you because I'm too afraid to lose you, Jess," Nick yelled, pleadingly. Nick considered what he just said, and dropped his hand from her elbow. "I'm afraid to lose you, Jess," Nick said, softer.

At his tone, Jess turned back to face him, hot and angry. "Don't you dare, Nick Miller. You think you can just flash a little vulnerability and get me to forgive you. Well, you can't. YOU. CAN'T!" she yelled. "You are a giant, grumpy mystery, who never, ever shares his feelings, and I am so tired of not knowing how you feel or where I stand with you!"

Hearing Jess' criticism, Nick turned defensive and angry. "You never know how. I. feel? Or where YOU stand?" asked Nick. "I KISSED YOU! On the MOUTH. With Tongue! I practically suck your face off, I want you so bad, and what do you do? YOU MAKE ME DO CHORES AROUND THE HOUSE FOR A MONTH!" he yelled. "What am I supposed to think? That I'm good enough to fix things around the house for you, but I'm not good enough to be your boyfriend? How do you think that made me feel?"

"I didn't know how you felt! I didn't know how I felt! You're my roommate, and my friend. I care about you Nick, and I didn't just want to throw away our friendship over some kiss that, yeah, was hot, but maybe didn't mean anything. Or maybe, seeing as how all we do is YELL at one another, we'd get together but it would be awful. AWFUL!" she yelled. "I was scared, Nick! I'm scared."

"Well, I'm scared too!" yelled Nick.

"Well, fine!"

"Fine!"

"FINE!"

"Well, WHAT ARE WE YELLING ABOUT THEN?" yelled Nick.

"I DON'T KNOW, MILLER!" yelled Jess.

Standing in the parking lot outside of Nick's bar, Jess and Nick looked at each other. They were breathing heavily from their shouting exchange, and their blood sang loudly in their ears. Nick looked at Jess, her face flushed and eyes glittery from anger. Unbidden, Nick's adrenaline and anger turned to arousal. Willing away the desire to take her lips with his mouth, Nick clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and counted to thirty. Around them, in the parking lot of Nick's bar, a few confused patrons tried, surreptitiously, to either watch or get into their cars and drive away.

Nick ran his hand over his face, counted another 10-count, and opened his eyes. "Look, Jess, I'm not good at this. I'm not good at talking about my feelings. In general. But the feelings I have . . . for you, Jess . . . they scare me. They SCARE me, Jess."

Jess looked at Nick in confusion. "Nick?"

"Yeah, Jess?"

"Why did you kiss me?" asked Jess.

"I kissed you because I couldn't help it, Jess. I couldn't help it! There was that stupid game, and yeah, I've thought about kissing you, but it wasn't till afterward, when I saw you with Sam . . . I thought, "Nick, what if that was your only shot? What if that was the only chance you'll get to kiss Jess, ever?" And then afterward, in the hallway, there you were, needing me, and smiling at me . . . and I couldn't help it. It was dumb, and stupid, and a mistake. And I'm sorry." Nick looked up at her with a pained expression. "And I'd do it again in a heartbeat if you'd let me."

Jess inhaled sharply. She felt her face flush and her body grow warm at his words. "What?"

"The closer I get to you, Jess, the more it scares me. The fact that I can hate that you sing about everything while also finding it adorable makes no sense to me. The fact that I know that you smell like Vanilla is both weird and arousing. And even though I hate when people call me Nicholas, from you, it sounds like a damn poem," confessed Nick. "Jess, I'm happy living in the loft with the guys and you, working at the bar. But the feelings I have for you make me think about . . . houses with fences and, I don't know, maybe a yard . . .they make me want a life different from the one I have now, a time when I won't be in the loft with you and the guys. But to be honest, even though part of me wants that, I'm not ready for it, not now, and so those feelings, they scare me."

Jess looked at Nick thoughtfully. "Nick?" she asked.

"Yeah, Jess?"

Jess walked toward Nick, and looked him in the eye. "I'm really sorry. I should have told you how I felt, afterward. I should have told you that I liked the kiss, and that it meant something to me." She took his hands and held them between their bodies. "And I get where you're coming from, Nick. I like being one of the boys with you, Schmidt, and Winston. I like what we have now. But I also like you, Nick. I'm scared too, but I like you, and I want to see what it's like to be with you."

Nick exhaled shakily. He suddenly felt tired and exposed. "Jess, you chose the wrong guy."

She smiled gently at him, "Why's that, Nick?"

Nick looked at her with a pained expression. "I'm going to screw up. I don't know how, and I don't know when, but sometime in the future, I'm going to get scared again, so I'll do something, again, that will hurt you. And if that happens, WHEN that happens, I hope you'll be able to forgive me."

"And sometime, in the future, Nick, I'm going to get scared. Then I'll put up a front and pretend that something doesn't matter when it does. A lot. And my cold shoulder will hurt you. When that happens, I hope you'll be able to forgive me too," said Jess. "Nick, will you go out with me?"

Nick looked up at Jess. She gave him a soft smile, one that crinkled the corners of her eyes. Still slightly flushed from their argument earlier, Jess' cheeks were tinged pink, and her lips were soft and full. Her eyes were soft and open, inviting him to kiss her. Nick looked at the happy, smiling, kissable woman in front of him, and saw his goofy, sweet roommate that sang a lot, baked cupcakes, and always needed company to watch TWD.

"Yes, Jess, I'll go out with you," said Nick, and then he leaned in and kissed her.


	12. Sweet Promises

**DISCLAIMER: **I am borrowing characters from the amazing New Girl!

**SPOILERS:** S2x15 (Cooler)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Thank you so, so much for following the story and for the kind words and encouragement. I intended this to be a one shot, and it kind exploded into a parade of chapters. If I do another one, I promise shorter and sweeter next time.

* * *

Nick gently cradled Jess' neck and hair. He looked in her eyes, asking for permission, and Jess smiled and gave a small nod. Leaning forward slowly, he reached for Jess and kissed her tenderly. Nick was surrounded by a sea of brown hair and the scent of vanilla, and felt her small hands wrap around his back. Her warm, soft lips moved against his with confidence, a sweet promise of happiness to come.

Jess placed her hands on Nick's chest and gave a slight push. Leaning back, Nick looked with concern at her. "What? Is there something wrong? Did my face look funny again? Was it my teeth?" Nick's hands moved to her waist, and he held her away from him.

"Nick. Your beard is kind of scruffy, and you smell like Old Spice," said Jess, a serious look on her face.

"What, do you want me to shave?" asked Nick, bewildered.

Jess smiled and sighed a contented 'mmm'. "No, Nick. I kind of like it." She stroked his chest. "Actually, I like it a lot."

Nick smiled. "Oh, so you like the scruff and the 'Spice?"

"Yeah, I do," Jess admitted. "Sometimes, when I see you and you haven't shaved in awhile, that kind of gives me the twirls." Jess gave a small laugh and smiled. "It's a miracle I haven't jumped you before now."

"And to think, for months, I was thinking about kissing you, and all I had to do was not shave!" teased Nick. "Well, now I know your secret, Jessica Day. And I want you to know that I'm going to use that information against you." Nick's hands moved to Jess's back and started stroking her there.

"Oh, really, Nicholas?" Jess curled her hands into Nick's shirt and gently pulled him into her.

"You, better believe it, Jess. Every chance I get." Nick pressed Jess to him and started stroking the back of her neck. "You know, maybe I'll stop shaving all together." Jess laughed. Nick continued, "That's it. Yeah. I'll stop shaving, I'll grow out a beard, and then every time you walk by you'll think, 'You know what, there's a man with some scruff that I'd like to French a little.'"

"Nick," interrupted Jess.

"Who would have thought that LESS grooming would be the way to your heart, Jess?" laughed Nick.

"NICK!" laughed Jess. Nick looked at her, smiling. "Shut up and kiss me, you clown," Jess laughed.

Nick leaned in and kissed her, again. This third kiss was different from their first two. Their third kiss was neither a kiss of hidden longing nor a kiss of apology and emotional surrender. Their third kiss was a kiss of affection and desire, the kind of kiss earned by friends slowly falling in love. A man of action, and not of words, Nick kissed her with all the feelings he had for her but was too scared to talk about.

Jess felt the difference in his kiss, and responded with unexpected passion and desire. Jess felt her body shudder hotly with emotion. Feeling her response to his embrace, Nick's body flushed with heat and arousal, and suddenly, Nick and Jess were kissing passionately and out of control in the parking lot.

Distantly, Nick and Jess heard a car horn bleep. Drugged by the power of their embrace, they broke apart falteringly at the sound. "Get a room!" the stranger yelled.

"Best kiss of my life here, man! Shut up!" Nick yelled back.

Surprised by the intensity of their embrace, Jess shyly looked at Nick. "Nick. Hey, Nick," she softly said.

The stranger beeped their car horn again, and drove out of the parking lot. "Yeah, you better run," Nick said under his breath as he watched the car leave. "Yeah, Jess?" he asked her, distractedly.

"Nick, I think he's right. I think we should get a room. Like, now. Do you think we could go back to the loft?" asked Jess. She gave him a small, hopeful look.

Nick looked at her, confused, but as his brain processed what she said, his eyes grew wide and a grin broke out over his face. "Oh, yes, let's go. Right now. Where's your car, do you have your coat? Where are your keys?" Nick broke apart from her and scrambled to gather their things.

Jess looked at Nick and laughed softly. "I'm good, Nick. I'm good. My car's just over there." She put her hand on his shoulder and stroked his arm till just their hands held. "Let's go home."

Nick stilled his movements and looked down at their hands. This was the moment when everything between them would change. If he went home with her like this, there would be no returning to a time when she was just his friend and he was just some guy with a secret crush on his roommate. If we went home with her like this, this one night would turn to days, weeks, or even months. There would be kisses and fights and making up, and even though they might really work out, there was the greater possibility of losing her.

Full of doubt, Nick looked up at her, and saw her smiling at him. His embrace had disheveled her hair, and his kisses had tinged her cheeks and lips red with their heat. He looked into her face. He saw that her eyes were soft with affection, and in them, he saw happiness and faith.

Quieting the scared voice inside him, Nick squeezed her hand. "Yeah, let's go home", Nick said, and he let Jess take him home.


End file.
